@scale rail posted:

Buy anything cool lately?

Yes, but I'm not one to brag. Don

Don, when did you go into the private i business? 

Williams Blue Goose with matching 6 car Williams Madison passenger cars.

My Pennsy passenger car sets (20-65043 and 20-69043) came in.  Both the five car set and the two car set are NIB.  I found it interesting that MTH made the five car set, the sleeper/diner set, the full length vista dome and the RPO in 2004, but didn’t come out with the baggage/coach set until 2006.  Also found it interesting the changes that were made in two years.  The newer cars have better trucks, better couplers, frames on the diaphragms, black grab rails and included passengers.  My one disappointment is that the 2006 baggage REA car didn’t have the stripes or keystones shown in the catalog and website.  Maybe that’s what the prototype looked like.  The sets are a good color match for each other and for the Williams Tuscan GG1.  Some of the 2004 cars have light bulbs rattling around inside, but that doesn’t matter.  I will change the lighting to LED and add passengers.

Was at my local grocery store yesterday and came across these cool candles with trains on them. Locomotive and several passenger cars. Needles to say I purchased two packs.

Gary 🚂

• I just got these ore cars.
• 

LCCA B&M smoking bay window caboose from 2015 New in box.

I bought it for my Williams B&M BL2  A close color match and although not a prototypical Paint scheme.

They do look good together.

I found a Lionel 6-18005 1-700E Hudson Locomotive that was affordable. After very little trackside maintenance it runs like it’s new. It even looks new. It’s the best 30 year old train I could have wished for. The best part is that it’s American made. I’ve been using it to smoke up the train room all evening. I considered upgrading the electronics, but it works so well I’ve decided to leave it alone and just operate it. It was pulling the freight I already had on the outside loop. I boxed up that consist and put passenger cars behind it. It’s surprising how well it pulls without traction tires. I’m sure the flat top rail helps. The last photo is a 6-19163 Lionel Lines observation car that I replaced the rear door with a modified Empire State Express item that was made to fit.

Just received this Railking RS3 in the mail from Grzyboski's Trains. I was slightly disappointed that MTH didn't offer a second road number or a dummy unit. Would love to pair it up with another unit. Unfortunately my layout is no more, so I can only run it on a small loop right now.

Got me a new tool caddy. https://www.micromark.com/Tool-Organizer_2

I seldom post on this topic, but I thought I would share this one I bought at the Monroeville Greenberg show yesterday.  I found these used Legacy GP7s, one powered, one not powered on one of the local brick and mortar train shop's table.  Yes both have a little more wear than I would have liked, but everything operates great on the powered geep.  The glaring deficiency on the powered one is that the magnetic held lid on the short hood is missing.  I see the little round magnets on the shell came unglued, so the lid was lost.  The bell and both of the flip down walkways over the couplers are missing.  The non powered one is missing one of the flip down walkways.  There are a few spots where the paint is chipped, but not much.  What sold me was he wanted $150 for the pair.  I can fix them up as time passes for that price.  I like the Great Northern paint scheme, it adds some color to my black Western Maryland Rwy layout!

Mark I was surprised to see you go for the GN paint scheme.  But it will definitely add a pop of color. $150 ofr a pair of legacy GPs, that's what a set of conventionals usually brings. Good deal even with the minor deficiencies. 

@coach joe posted:

Mark I was surprised to see you go for the GN paint scheme.  But it will definitely add a pop of color. $150 ofr a pair of legacy GPs, that's what a set of conventionals usually brings. Good deal even with the minor deficiencies.

Thank you, Joe!  Yes they are out of my normal interest, but at the price, I couldn’t pass.  I posted about them over on the ‘What did you do on the layout today’ topic, and Carl ‘Pingman’ gave me the link to the parts list for the similar  GP9.  I ordered everything except the missing bell with the hope they will fit.  I had looked up this GP7 earlier and all that was listed were 4 internal parts.  With the Lionel half price weekend, they came to only $30, and I ordered an extra of all just in case.  I’ll keep my fingers crossed!  👍🏻

@CoolHand posted:The last photo is a 6-19163 Lionel Lines observation car that I replaced the rear door with a modified Empire State Express item that was made to fit.

Did you use a scale obs car door and make it smaller to fit a 15" car?  If so, how did you do it?

I ask because I bought a scale Texas Special door last year to cut down to fit a 15" car for a custom painted Texas Special train but have not gotten to that project, yet.

Great buy finds everyone! I give me hope that one day I will find a steam engine at a good price! Keep posting your finds as it gives me ideas of where to look!

My wife wanted an "old fashioned Christmas locomotive", meaning a 19th century one with a diamond stack, once I asked her a few questions. Or as she put it, "Something like the old locomotive on Petticoat Junction".

This was going for $180 brand new with remote, spare traction tires, manual, and smoke on ebay, as a pull from a Lionchief starter set. I put it on my watchlist, and a week later got an offer to buy it for $125. At that price, I couldn't pass it up. She really liked it when I unpacked it.

As the saying goes- happy wife, happy life

Plus I have Christmas cars from a late 80's set to pull behind it.

This

@Pingman posted:

Did you use a scale obs car door and make it smaller to fit a 15" car?  If so, how did you do it?

I ask because I bought a scale Texas Special door last year to cut down to fit a 15" car for a custom painted Texas Special train but have not gotten to that project, yet.

Great minds think alike. Yes Carl, it seems as though the door I used was scale because it was much too large. I used a X-acto razor saw to trim a little off of the top and the bottom. I placed 400 grit paper flat on my table and used it to carefully remove material until it just fit.I had to use the edge of the table to remove the material that I didn’t want without removing the tab that locates in the slots at the top and bottom.
I decided NOT to glue it into place so that the car will disassemble properly. Good luck with your project. Please, post photos of it.

@CoolHand, thanks for the tips.  It will be a while before I get to this and I wish I had a LIONEL 15" obs car rear door for comparison, but this is what the O Scale Texas Special door looks like:

Like yours, this door will need to be carefully trimmed to fit the 15" car.

Thanks, again.

My latest Ebay purchase.

I live by the old Bessemer and Lake Erie line now Canadian National

So I thought I should add this one to my collection.

Williams New in Box with FREE shipping.

Does finally retrieving all of my trains from storage and finding things I forgot about count? Because if it does I have a heck of a list.

@Bill T posted:

From Dixie Union Station, MTH Armco coil car.

Hi Bill

Love your photos of the Kodak Park RR.   One of the cars is a coilcar.   Was Armco connected with Kodak and the car was a regular at Kodak Park ?    I live in New Zealand  away from the action.  Do you happen to have a roster for the Kodak fleet,  1960-70s or thereabouts.

You live in New Zealand? We're watching "800 Words" on Netflix and it shows lovely scenes of your beautiful country. It's on my bucket list. That is if we're ever comfortable to travel again.

Ill have a answer for this thread Saturday night, got a two day auction to go to Friday and Saturday, should have a lot of cool stuff to show then.....

Lionel CSX First Responders Unit

Biscuitag97, Wow, that’s a gorgeous CSX First Responders Diesel, well detailed, super paint scheme, “Operation Gratitude” on the side says it all. Mine is do in this week says my hobby shop. Happy Railroading Everyone..

I Just purchased this great Lionel BerWind GLa hopper for a very reasonable price on EBAY.

I've had this MTH Farm Equipment depressed center flatcar for a while but wasn't impressed by the 1/64 Ford backhoe that it came with.  I've always wanted a submarine car so when I saw this LEGO sub I had an AHA moment.  Picked it and the snowplow up for loads.

@coach joe posted:

I've had this MTH Farm Equipment depressed center flatcar for a while but wasn't impressed by the 1/64 Ford backhoe that it came with.  I've always wanted a submarine car so when I saw this LEGO sub I had an AHA moment.  Picked it and the snowplow up for loads.

Looks really cool, Joe. LEGO has sure came a long way since I was a kid!!!

An off the beaten path thrift store score...

$20 for three pieces of rolling stock, with the two        Lehigh Valley items being new in their boxes!

Tom

NWJ Hirailers latest beer reefer.

I have been getting further into Pre/Post War collecting. My local shop happened to receive both of these from an Estate Collection. I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. 763e and 773 Hudsons.

1. LIONEL - Southern 86' scale Autorack #159166

2. Woodland Scenics - O scale lighted Police Car w/flashing red light.

@NS1975 The light-up cars look great!

Acquired another one of these for my collection the other day.  6060 (right) arrived by mail yesterday morning from the MTH warehouse auctions.  Figured I'd line them all up for a 'family photo' of sorts!

@biscuitag97 posted:

Lionel CSX First Responders Unit

How good did they get the red? Does it look like the real thing? Very nice pictures. Thank you for sharing them!

Bill

Well the auction didn't go as good as I hoped, and I was only able to pick up one engine from there, a MTH Rail King Virginia EL-C (forgot to take a picture after buying it but here's the photo from the auction). However, the next day I was at one of the places I regularly find trains, and found a KMT set. Considering how slow things have gone in the train department for me this year, not a bad weekend.

No pics yet, but hopefully very soon! Sent payment out yesterday, and the two items were shipped out yesterday too. Bought a wonderfully repainted and decaled original AF Wide Gauge 4010 tank car, done by Dave Corbett of Wisconsin, and 'upgraded' my original AF Wide Gauge 4011 unlighted caboose I bought from him to an original AF Wide Gauge 4021 lighted caboose. Both bought from Dave C. Very excited!!!

I once scoffed at these 0-8-0 switchers but when I saw this paint scheme in the big book I just had to have it. Great piece of WWII history.

MTH Premier Reading and Northern bay window caboose for my R&N consist. Very nice car and super hard to find. Been looking for one for awhile now!

will have a surprise for head end power shortly!